Author: Arsine Chaltikian

A plane with 44 passengers on board has crashed and burst into flames in South Sudan,  reports.

According to the soiurce, survivors were pulled from the burning wreckage after the passenger plane belonging to South Supreme Airlines crashed at Wau Airport on Monday afternoon.

Photos taken by people at the airport showed the scorched wreckage of the plane in pieces as it was surrounded by emergency services, airport personnel and UN peacekeepers.

Smoke filled the air as firefighters arrived at the scene of the air disaster and poured water on the plane’s smouldering remains.

South Supreme Airlines began operating in September 2013, with a handful of flights every week between South Sudan and neighbouring Uganda.

Artsakh is holding a referendum on a new draft Constitution. The Central Electoral Commission reports that 19 475 citizens or 18.95% of eligible voters, participated in the poll as of 11 a.m.

All 280 polling stations opened at 8 a.m. this morning. The number of eligible voters is 102 757.

Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan was named a Companion of the Order of Canada on Friday for his contribution to Canadian culture, Global News reports.

It is the highest honor the Canadian government bestows to its citizens.

February 13 is World Radio Day – a day to celebrate radio as a medium. The day was proclaimed World Radio Day at  the 36th session of UNESCO’s General Conference.

UNESCO’s Executive Board recommended to the General Conference the proclamation of World Radio Day, on the basis of a feasibility study undertaken by UNESCO, further to a proposal from Spain.

Radio is the mass media reaching the widest audience in the world. It is also recognized as a powerful commuaniction tool and a low cost medium. Radio is specifically suited to reach remote communities and vulnerable people: the illiterate, the disabled, women, youth and the poor, while offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level. Furthermore, radio has a strong and specific role in emergency communication and disaster relief.

There is also a changing face to radio services which, in the present times of media convergence, are taking up new technological forms, such as broadband, mobiles and tablets. However, it is said that up to a billion people still do not have access to radio today.

The date of 13 February, the day the United Nations radio was established in 1946, was proposed by the Director-General of UNESCO. The objectives of the Day will be to raise greater awareness among the public and the media of the importance of radio; to encourage decision makers to establish and provide access to information through radio; as well as to enhance networking and international cooperation among broadcasters.

The consulted stakeholders also proposed ideas for the programme of celebration: extensive use of social media, annual themes, a dedicated website enabling virtual participation, special radio programmes, radio programmes exchange, a festival involving key partners, and so forth.

On 14 January 2013, the United Nations General Assembly formally endorsed UNESCO’s proclamation of  World Radio Day. During its 67th Session, the UN General Assembly endorsed the resolution adopted during the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference, proclaiming 13 February, the day United Nations Radio was established in 1946, as World Radio Day.

Asbarez – The film The Other Side of Home,  which is under consideration for an Academy Award for short documentary, was shown to film industry members, including members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at New York’s Soho House. The final five nominees for the category will be announced Tuesday, January 24th.

Actor-writer Eric Bogosian gave the introduction at the event, which included the director, Naré Mkrtchyan and producer, Rob Fried.

“I’m so thankful that this film was chosen as one of the final ten candidates for an Academy Award,” said Mkrtchyan.  “As a grandchild of survivors of the Armenian Genocide this means a lot to me.  In a way, it’s a confirmation that this topic which has been silenced for so long is universally understood, that it’s one worth telling, and one that audiences would like to see.”

“It’s a very powerful story, told in a very modern and engaging way,” said Chris Parnagian, who attended the screening and was among the donors who contributing to the event.

Conceived, directed and narrated by Mkrtchyan, the 40-minute documentary follows her on a trip Turkey in April, 2015, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

In the film, Naré visits Maya, a Turkish woman who recently discovered that her great grandmother was a “hidden” Armenian Genocide survivor. Through interviews conducted in Turkey and Armenia, Maya reveals her emotional struggle to reconcile her dual identity, compounded by generations of official denial by Turkey.

The filmmakers answered questions about the film’s behind-the-scenes process; Among them – how the filmmaker found the subject, Maya, about traveling through Turkey during the genocide centennial, about Naré’s sometimes difficult discussions with Maya about genocide recognition.

The Genocide Education Project thanks the generous donors and organizers who helped make the event a success — Rachel and Paul Nadjarian, Alexis Alexanian and Douglas Graham, Emma Arakelyan and Tiran Nalbandyan, Lisa and Chris Parnagian, and Dikran and Seda Kaligian.

Armenia is placed 65th in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2017.

Launched for the first time in 2013, the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) is an annual benchmarking report that measures the ability of countries to compete for talent. The report ranks 118 countries according to their ability to grow, attract and retain talent.

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Georgia 70th, Turkey – 61st, Azerbaijan 66th, Iran – 103rd.

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia and Kazakhstan are ranked 56th and 53rd respectively, Kyrgyzstan is 87th, no data is available for Belarus.

Switzerland tops the ranking followed by Singapore and the united Kingdom.

The 2017 GTCI study focuses on how technology is affecting talent competitiveness and the nature of work, exploring both significant challenges and opportunities, and important shifts away from traditional working approaches.

The Azerbaijani side used firearms of different calibers as it violated the ceasefire at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces 45 times last night.

The rival fired about 490 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions. It also used a grenade launcher in the northern direction of the frontline.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep full control of the situation at the line of contact and confidently continue with the reliable protection of the military positions.

By Harut Sassounian
The California Courier

Last November, Americans elected the unlikeliest presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump. He is not your typical politician. As a successful and prominent businessman, he is used to making off- the- cuff remarks and not subscribing to any particular direction. Given the controversial nature of the Trump Presidency, domestic and international relations may drastically change. President Trump has already revised his position on some major campaign promises: expelling illegal aliens, building a wall between Mexico and the United States, and not allowing immigrants from Islamic countries to visit the United States. President Trump has also altered his position regarding serious, international issues. President Trump may not be sure himself what positions he would take on a variety of foreign policy issues.

Here is a short list of major international decisions President Trump will have to make.

1. The most important realignment of relations will be between Russia and the United States. If these two major countries can get along, there is no reason to be at odds risking the stability of the world. Furthermore, cooperation between Russia and the United States will have a positive effect on reducing terrorism in Syria and Iraq. Many of the major international figures who are opposed to the prospect of the improved relations between Putin and President Trump are reverting back to the Cold War Era mentality. The biggest issue that has arisen in recent weeks was the accusation that Russia had hacked the US presidential election. However, Russians have not done anything extraordinary. China, Russia and even US allies have always tried to steal each other’s secrets.

2. Due to his discontent with current international agreements, President Trump will want to re-negotiate the terms, previously approved under the Obama administration. One of the most important changes President Trump wants to do is re-negotiate the nuclear deal with Iran, which involves several other countries besides Iran and the US. It remains to be seen if the Iranians will go along with any of the changes proposed by President Trump.

3. A major realignment desired by President Trump is the settling of the Israeli-Arab conflict. If President Trump goes along with his plans in moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, this could result in a major clash between the US and the Arab states leading to highly undesirable consequences.

4. The final issue that President Trump will confront is the newly improved relationship between the United States and Cuba. It remains to be seen whether Cuba will go along with any changes proposed by President Trump.

There is no guarantee that President Trump’s ideas will improve the previously negotiated agreements or if they be accepted by the rest of the world. Consequentially, there is a lot of uncertainty where the new world order is headed, and whether relations between various countries will improve. The entire world hopes that countries will get along better with each other and peaceful solutions will be found. Positive relations between Russia and the US will help recent challenges faced by the Armenian Republic.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Iran may sign a temporary agreement that could lead to the creation of a free trade zone, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said Monday.

“The president of Iran has shown interest in signing a temporary deal with the EEU, leading to the creation of a free trade zone. Armenia is actively assisting the negotiations between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Commission, aiming to sign the agreement as soon as possible,” Sargsyan said.

“As the only EEU member that has a land border with Iran, is focusing on the development of joint transport and logistics projects, including the creation of a transit route from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea, which would create the platform for a safe and convenient access to the Persian Gulf and on to the Indian Ocean for our EEU partners,” teh Armenian President said.

Photo: Instagram

 

Oscar winner Leo DiCaprio  bought a work by hot painter Joe Bradley for $65,000 at the Children of Armenia Fund’s gala at Cipriani 42nd Street, according to .

DiCaprio’s friend, art dealer Tony Shafrazi, was the gala’s honorary chair, and Simon de Pury presided over the auction. Terry George and Eric Esrailian were honored.

On December 9th, the 13th Annual COAF Gala at Cipriani in New York raised $3.1 million to fund COAF’s extensive range of programs in Armenia.

Spanning education, health, wellness, science, technology, innovation, culture, art, communication and languages, COAF’s programming was created to empower a new generation of healthy, educated Armenians to significantly improve the future of their homeland on both a local and global scale